Dark Secrets
By SmudgyHollz. Chapter One - Letters Tonight was my last night of being ten. Tomorrow, when I woke up I would be eleven. A shiver of excitement ran down my spine. It was not the usual excitement, I was not wondering whether I would get a new game, or clothes or a guitar. I was wondering whether a certain letter would be sitting on the doorstep, just waiting for me to jump out of bed, run downstairs and discover it. I had not yet shown any signs of being a witch, but neither had my mother and she had still got it. In fact, the same letter had been sent to every member of my family for generations, both the Frost’s and the Star’s. It would be weird if I didn’t get it too, when my big sister, Fern had. A floorboard creaked and I jumped, clutching my duvet. When the steps continued past my door, I realized that it was just my father, retreating to his bedroom. I yawned and glanced at the clock that was sitting on my bedside table. It was only have an hour until I was eleven. I would stay awake until then. I rolled over onto my side, throwing the cushions that had been propping me up to the end of my bed. The curtains were open hanging limply at either side of the window. I stared outside into the night. The sky was like a midnight blue quilt, speckled with tiny, silver gold spots. The moon was full and it shed its icy light which shone through my window and pooled over my bed. I had always been fascinated by the moon and its magical ways. I knew it was connected with werewolves, and I wondered about them too. A lot of people in the magical community disapproved of them, but I didn’t see why. How was it their fault that they turned into animals every month? I wondered vaguely if there would be any werewolves at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I didn’t have much time to think about it though, because the clock clicked forwards. It was twelve O’clock and I was now eleven. But I was also exhausted, so I snuggled under my bed-sheets. Sleep lapped over me in a wave. My dreams were a muddle of letters, a school for witches and wizards, werewolves and full moons. Sunshine streamed through my window. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and sat up. Birds chirped noisily outside and there was not even a breeze to stir the greenery. A perfect summer’s day. It was only when I heard footsteps outside of my room that I remembered. I was eleven! Pulling back the covers, I leaped out of my bed and jammed my feet into a pair of slippers. I streaked across to my door, yanked it open, ran across the landing and raced down the stairs. A load of letters lay waiting on the doormat. I turned them over, my fingers trembling with excitement. But my excitement soon died as I saw who they were addressed to. One was for Mr. J. Frost, my father, the second for Mrs. E. Frost and the third was addressed to Miss. F. Frost, and it was clearly a list of things my sister would need this year at Hogwarts. There was a load of letters for me, but they were all in pastel pink of purple envelops, and were most definitely Birthday cards. A squashy parcel also lay nearest to the door, but I already knew that it was another knitted jumper from Granny Star. There were no thick envelopes with red seals and swirly handwriting. I was so disappointed, I felt like crying. A lump caught in my throat, too big to swallow. I had had my hopes so high, my dream being to work with magical creatures or to be a Herbology teacher, but now all of that was ruined. I wasn’t magic, I was a Squib. My mother and father would be so disappointed after having a perfect daughter like, Fern. “Happy Birthday, Rowan!” I jumped, turning to see Fern at the top of the staircase. She was wearing a blue nightdress, her bare arms a lovely golden honey colour, and was looking down at me with sparkling green eyes. Her ginger hair flew out behind her as she launched herself down the stairs, and then rested down her back in silky waves. I looked down at my papery white skin and frizzy ginger hair. “Hey, Fern,” I mumbled. Fern peered over my shoulder to see what I was holding. “Any for you?” she asked. I stared blankly at the Birthday cards in my hands, but I knew that wasn’t what Fern meant. She was asking if I had been sent any letters inviting me to Hogwarts. “No,” I croaked, standing up. I handed the letter addressed to Miss. F. Frost to Fern. “Here.” Fern gave me a sympathetic look, taking her letter. “The owl probably just got lost,” she told me. “They get a bit confused sometimes.” “Yeah right,” I snapped. “How come you got that?” Fern did not answer, but instead opened the door to the kitchen. Picking up my cards and parcel, I followed. As soon as I walked in, Mum threw herself at me and hugged me tightly. I gave a tiny gasp, surprised. “Happy Birthday, Rowan!” she cried. “Here, come and open your presents!” I sighed, sitting down at the table. While Mum was fumbling about in a high up kitchen cupboard, Fern opened her letter. I watched as her eyes scanned the page and her mouth opened and closed so that she looked like a goldfish. “I’m a prefect!” Fern screamed suddenly, so loudly that I nearly fell from my chair. I felt my eyes prick, the lump in my throat growing bigger. Mum and Dad would be so unhappy if I told them I was a Squib now that their other daughter was a prefect at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Gulping, I decided not to tell my parents that I had not been sent the letter, and if they asked to see it, I would say that I had lost it. “That’s brilliant, darling!” my mother exclaimed. “I’m so proud!” Mum dumped a large pile of presents onto the table beside my cards and parcel for Granny Star. “These are from me and your father,” she told me, separating three objects from the pile. “Thanks,” I told her, pulling a tall rectangular present towards me. It, like the other two, was covered in deep purple paper. I ripped it open and found, to my greatest disappointment, two books. A, Transfiguration for Beginners and a Book of Easy Potions. I stared at them for a while, trying to look delighted, while silently hoping that the other presents weren’t magic related. I opened the other two. One was a dark, shiny wand, the other a broomstick. I managed a tiny gasp before I had to push them away. “I love them!” I told Mum quietly. I pulled the other presents closer. Deciding that Granny Star's would be the safest, as it was probably another red knitted jumper, I began to open it. More disappointment. Instead of the usual jumper were some neatly folded Hogwarts robes. There were shoved to the very end of the table as I could not bear to be reminded that I would not be attentding Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There were only two more presents to open now. A box shaped parcel and a flat paper-like thing hidden in silver wrapping. They couldn't be too bad. I opened the paper-like present and found, to my biggest surprise, a large picture of a pale grey owl. Attached to it was a note that read; This is Cinder. I hope you like her. She will arrive sometime this week. Lots of love, Grandma Frost I smiled at this one, for maybe I could have a pet owl even if I was not magic. The next parcel turned out to be an art set. It was full of feather quills, multi-coloured inks, bits of thick parchment and invisibility ink. It was from Aunt Violet, and I knew I would have fun with it. Writing stories was what I did. “Look Mum,” I said, handing her the art-set and the owl picture. Mum studied them and then smiled down at me. “You’ll get a lot of use out of those,” she told me. “Why don’t you and Fern go and get dressed so that I can put breakfast on?” I nodded, scooped up my presents and walked outside, Fern was following close behind. As soon as I closed the kitchen door, she hugged me. “I’m sorry, Rowan,” she whispered into my frizz of ginger hair. “I should have told Mum and Dad not to get you magical presents.” My eyes pricked again, and this time, I could feel the tears welling. “It’s okay, Fern,” I murmured. “It doesn’t matter. And please don’t tell anybody that I am a Squib.” Fern pushed me an arms length away. I stared at the face in front of me with the honey skin, the green eyes, the perfect features and the beautiful hair. “You can’t not tell anybody, Rowan,” She told me firmly. “What about when you et to Hogwarts and you can’t do magic?” With a jolt, I suddenly realized that my sister was right. “I’ll tell them,” I promised. “Just after my Birthday.” Fern sighed, but nodded reluctantly, and ran upstairs, disappearing into her bedroom. I followed slowly, closing the door carefully behind me and dumping my presents onto the bed. I had my clothes all looked out in, sitting on my chair. I pulled my white nightdress over my head, but before I put the clothes on, I glanced quickly in the mirror. A pale girl with wide green eyes and a tangle of ginger hair stared back at me. She looked unhappy and scared and young. But the thing was, it wasn’t her body that looked young, it was her expression. The bewildered expression on her face made her look about the age of six. I shook my head and grabbed my clothes, pulling on my underwear. I had chosen a blue, floaty, summer’s dress. It came down to my knees. After I had finished dressing, I looked back into the mirror. The girl was still there, this time in a flowing, river-blue dress on. I grabbed my hairbrush and began to brush out the knots, then tied it back in two spindly pleats. The girl’s hair looked almost neat now, not half as crazy as it was. But she still looked terrified, like she could burst into tears at any moment. She smiled, but it was a fake smile, but it would do. I slipped my feet into a pair of silvery shoes and went back downstairs. As the rest of the day dragged on, I felt my chest grow heavier and heavier with guilt. The jump in my throat got bigger too, and I felt at points that I would burst into tears. It was especially bad when Mum turned out to have baked me a Birthday cake shaped like a witches hat. Finally, at ten O’clock, I had the chance to sneak away, up to bed. It was such a relief, slinking down under my crisp white bed-sheets and knowing I would not have to face another day like that. Big, wet tears began to roll down my cheeks, as I eventually let them free. I was not a witch, I would not be going to Hogwarts and I had been given magical presents that I could not use for my Birthday. I stayed up late into the night, until I cried myself to sleep. It seems like only seconds after I had closed my eyes that I was woken by a tapping on my window. Startled, I clambered out of bed and padded across to the window. To my greatest surprise, I saw a dark brown owl, pecking at the glass with a letter attached to its leg. I quickly opened the window to let it in. The owl flew inside and flopped down onto my bed. I sat beside it and untied the letter. My heart skipped a beat. It was a thick white envelope with a red seal and looping handwriting. It was addressed to Miss. Rowan. Frost. Inside, the slip of paper read; HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Cofed. Of Wizards) Dear Miss Frost, We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on the 1st of September, we await your owl by no later than the 31st of July. Yours sincerely, Minevra McGonagall Deputy Headmistress I smiled hugely, let the owl back out of the window and snuggled back down under my bedcovers. I had received the letter after all and I would be attending Hogwarts. Still clutching my letter tightly, with a heart no longer weighed down with guilt and misery but light as a feather, I closed my eyes and fell into a deep and well-earned sleep. Chapter Two - The Boat Summer past in a blur and all too soon it was the morning of September the 1st. I sat on my bedroom widow-sill, staring out at the creamy sky, streaked with patches of pink and blue. There was a suitcase at the end of my bed, full of things that I would need at Hogwarts, and Cinder, my owl that had only arrived a few weeks ago, was sitting beside me. I ran my fingers through her fluffy grey feathers and she hooted affectionately. It would soon be time to leave for King’s Cross Station, as we had to drive a long way to get there, so I figured I would have to start getting ready soon. As a cold breeze crept through the open window, I shivered and got to my feet. I would get ready now, partly because I was freezing, and partly because I knew breakfast would surely be rushed. A plain black T-shirt, blue skirt and underwear sat on the chair beside my door. I quickly slipped them on, dragged a brush through my hair and opened the door, stepping out onto the landing. Fern was already halfway down the staircase, wearing a crisp white shirt with her prefect badge pinned to it. “You’d better hurry up, Rowan,” she told me. “We’ll have to get a move on if we are to catch the train.” I nodded and quickly bounded down the stairs, leaping into the kitchen. Breakfast was already waiting on the table. I slid into a chair beside Fern and helped myself to a slice of toast, managing to wolf it down before Mum even entered the room. “Good morning, Mum,” I greeted her. “Shall I go and get my suitcase?” “Yes,” Mum nodded. “Your father will put it into the car. Fern, are you nearly ready?” Trying not to slip on the cold tiled floor, I hurried out of the kitchen and up the stairs. When I stepped into my room, Cinder swooped down low over my head, her talons brushing my hair. I swatted her away and managed to lure her into her cage. By then my hair was a tangled mess, but I had no time to fix it. I heaved my suitcase up with one hand and carried Cinder’s cage in the other. It took a while to drag everything outside, but at last I managed. Dad was there to load everything into the Muggle car. “Get inside, Rowan!” Dad hurried me. “Your mother and Fern will be here in a minute. We need to go!” I nodded and leaped into one of the back seats, strapping myself in. Fern and Mum left the house moments later, carrying Fern’s suitcase and the cage in which slept her tortoiseshell cat, Mouse. Dad shoved her stuff into the boot too, while Mum and Fern got into the car. “Are you excited?” Fern asked as we puffed down the track. “Of course!” I exclaimed. “Why wouldn’t I be?” We sat in silence after that, so that all I could hear was the groaning of the car. I glanced out of the window thoughtfully for a while, watching the clouds and fields and occasional house go by. I liked car journeys, mostly because they weren’t often. “Mum?” I asked suddenly. “What house were you in?” I stared at my mother’s wavy brown hair, waiting for her reply. “Ravenclaw,” she told me. “All the Star’s were sorted into Ravenclaw.” “The Frost’s too,” Dad added. “Me and all my brothers, mother, father and basically all my other relatives.” “Does that mean I will be a Ravenclaw too?” I wondered. “Is it a good house to be in?” “It is a good house,” Dad confirmed. “It’s where all the very intelligent students go. But all the other houses are good too. Except for Slytherin, you don’t want to be a Slytherin. There isn’t a wizard who hasn’t gone bad been in that house.” “Hey!” Fern protested. “Elena Stopper is a Slytherin, and she’s my best friend!” “It doesn’t matter which house you are sorted into,” Mum assured me. Even if you are a Slytherin, we will still be proud of you.” I nodded and looked back out of the window. Mum, Dad and Fern were still discussing houses, but I didn’t feel like talking. Instead, I tried to imagine Hogwarts, but all I could picture was a cold church-like building. A howling wind whipped the grim grass and crept through the cracks in the walls. I shuddered, hoping with all of my heart that the school did not look like that. But if it did, and I was made a Slytherin, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I would like to go home. The car trundled along the countryside roads, and at some point I must have fallen asleep. Fern shook me awake. “We’re here,” she announced. I blinked groggily, trying to get the sleep out of my eyes. “It’s five to eleven!” Dad cried. “Get out of the car or we’re going to miss the train!” Fern threw me a coat and we got out of the car into the freezing, pouring rain. I shivered violently, wishing I were snuggled up in a warm and cosy bed instead of outside in the icy cold, wet and miserable weather. Dad handed me my suitcase and Cinder, and gave Fern her things. Waving goodbye to Mum, I hurried after Dad, heading towards Platform Nine and Three Quarters. We stopped and a pillar. “Erm, Dad,” I said. “I don’t think this is it.” “Of course it is,” Dad snapped. “You go first, Fern. Show Rowan how it’s done.” I glanced confused, over at Fern. She was running at full speed, heading straight for the pillar. I cringed, but there was no crash. Instead, Fern ran straight through the brick wall, disappearing into thin-air. I stared in amazement. “Come on, Rowan,” Dad growled. “You’ve seen magic before. Just run at the bloody wall!” I knew Dad got very irritable when he was in a hurry so I quickly began to move forwards, copying Fern’s movements, hurtling myself at the wall, squeezing my eyes shut when I was ten steps away from it. I had expected not to be able to do it, to fall in a heap on the ground, but I did not feel a thing. When I opened my eyes I gasped. A huge scarlet steam engine stood smartly on the rails, a sign saying Platform Nine and Three Quarters sticking out from one of the many pillars. Hundreds of people hurried around, shouting for their missing children, kids about my age were sobbing and hugging their parents. It was truly magical. “Bye, Rowan,” Dad murmured, pulling me into a tight hug. I hugged him back and stepped aside as Fern said her goodbyes to him. “Come on,” Fern told me, slipping her hand around mine so that we did not get separated. She led me forwards at a quick pace and we entered one of the carriages. “If you just find a seat somewhere,” Fern told me. “I’ll be patrolling the corridors so I will see you again sometime.” I nodded and we set off in different directions. I had to heave my luggage all the way to the end of the carriage to find an empty compartment. It was a relief to sit down. I think I was fell asleep, I don’t know how long for, all I knew was that I heard an echoing voice and saw a blurry outline of a boy. “C-can I sit here?” he asked, and it was probably the sixth time that he repeated it that I actually heard. “T-there are no other seats that are not taken.” His image finally came into focus. He was small, skinny and ghostly pale, paler than even me, and he had scruffy hair and mix-matched clothes. He looked ill. “Of course,” I told him and he smiled nervously at me, sitting down on the bench opposite. “I-I’m, Remus,” he told me. “R-Remus L-Lu-Lupin.” “I’m Rowan Frost,” I replied, holding out a hand. But Remus flinched away. I was curious to see that he had his sleeve down over his hand. I suddenly wondered if I was dirty or ugly or something. Remus didn’t say anything more but stared out of the window, his eyes glassy and a faraway look on his face. I didn’t want to disturb him, so I settled back down on my bench and gazed outside. Everything was going past in a blur of greens and browns and blues. When the compartment door slid open and a small girl with red eyes, obviously from crying, stormed in, Remus and I both jumped. Another boy followed closely behind, already in his Hogwarts robes, with pale, sallow skin and grey eyes. “Go away, Severus!” the girl cried. “I don’t want to talk to you!” Remus looked slightly alarmed and got up, moving to the space next to me. “Lily, please,” the boy, Severus begged. He looked ready to cry as well and gazed into the girl’s pretty green eyes pleadingly. “Okay,” Lily sighed. “I’m just annoyed at Petunia, that’s all. I didn’t mean to be angry with you as well.” The two students sat down on the benches opposite and began chattering. I didn’t make out anything they said, because at that moment, Remus fell asleep, flopping over so that his head rested on my shoulder. His hand also slipped out from his sleeve and I saw it for the first time. A huge gouge had been ripped off of it, almost as if it had been bitten. But I knew it wasn’t a human bite, it would have been a much bigger, fiercer creature to make a mark like that. I gazed at him in concern, but there seemed nothing I could do, so I settled down to sleep as well. Remus woke later and we both changed into our Hogwarts robes. I sat down and faced Lily and Severus, who were already dressed. They were both too absorbed in their conversation to notice me, or even Remus as he opened the compartment door and sat back down beside me. I decided to try and start a conversation with Remus, and I would not mention his hand, although my eyes kept sliding past his face towards it. “Are you excited?” I asked him, blinking in an effort to stop my gaze slipping towards the hand. Remus looked up at me, looking startled, as if surprised anybody would try to speak to him. “Y-yes,” he replied. “It should be good.” I noticed his reluctant ‘yes’ and his ‘should’ be good, but chose not to say anything about it. “What house would you like to be in?” I wondered, and I found myself half hoping he would say Ravenclaw. “All my family has been in Ravenclaw.” “That doesn’t mean you’ll be put there too,” Remus told me, and I noticed he was looking slightly less shy, mostly because he had stopped stuttering. “You could be put in Slytherin or Hufflepuff, for instance. But I think I would like to be a Gryffindor.” I nodded, wondering why Mum, Dad and Fern had never mentioned that. Just as I thought of my sister, Fern slid open the compartment door. “Hello, Rowan,” she greeted me cheerily, turning to Remus. “And who are you?” “R-Remus L-L-Lupin,” Remus stammered. When Fern narrowed her eyes, he stiffened and clutched the edges of his seat. “Aren’t you the boy Professor Dumbledore told the Prefects and Heads about?” Fern demanded. Remus began to look rather flushed and hurried, glancing nervously at Lily, Severus and me. “P-p-probably,” he told Fern. Fern gave me a hard look, and I wondered what Professor Dumbledore had told her about him, and whether it was true or not. “Everyone is fine, Fern,” I interrupted when she opened her mouth to say more. “You can go now.” Fern shot me a glare cold enough to freeze lava. I met her eyes calmly. She stood there a while before folding her arms, slamming the compartment door shut and storming down the corridor. “Come on, Severus,” Lily said, tugging the boy from his seat. “I’m starving. Let’s go and get something off of the trolley.” Lily smiled at me on the way past, dragging Severus with her. I wondered if she had left so that Remus could tell me what Professor Dumbledore had told Fern about him, but I doubted he would. After all, we had only just met and he probably still had no idea who I was. “Thank you,” Remus sighed after a while. “Who was that?” I looked up. “Fern,” I told him, and at last let out what I truly thought of her. “She’s my sister and she is really annoying. She keeps sticking her nose into everybody’s business, and telling me what to do. Mum thinks she’s brilliant because she’s so smart and pretty, and always gives her all of the attention.” Remus raised his eyebrows slightly. “I always wanted a brother or sister,” he explained. “I am an only child, you see.” “You must get lonely,” I said, and he nodded. “Dad is always too busy with work and Mum won’t stop worrying about me long enough for me to go outside,” he went on. “Worrying about you?” I echoed, and Remus stiffened again. “Sorry,” I apologized quickly. “You don’t have to say anything.” Remus looked at me strangely. “I’ve never met anybody like you before,” he told me. “How do you know when-“ He stopped when the train grinded to a halt. I got to my feet and waited for Remus by the door. He smiled faintly at me and we got off of the train together, stepping out into the darkness of the night. I shivered and looked around, wondering where to go. “''Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here!” I gasped, looking up at a huge giant of a man, waving his hands and shouting. Nervously, I made my way over to him, Remus following close behind. The man stopped shouting for a moment and beamed down at him. “All right there, Remus?” he asked. “I see you’ve found a friend. I don’ believe I’ve met you before.” “I-I’m R-Rowan Frost,” I told him, finding myself stuttering almost as much as Remus. “Well, I’m Rubeus Hagrid,” he introduced himself. “But my friends call me Hagrid, ain’t that right, Remus?” Hagrid, the giant man, began to shout again, and soon enough about a hundred students were crowded around him. “S’ that everybody?” A few people nodded, and we all set off into the cold night. I stumbled and slipped a few times. At one point Lily knocked into a scruffy-haired boy, who tripped up onto me. I felt myself flying forwards and threw my hands out which caught Remus’s shoulders. The four of us fell in a crumpled heap on the soggy ground. I shuddered as muddy water seeped through my robes and got to my feet. All down my front was dripping wet. “Everybody okay?” Hagrid asked over his shoulder. “Hogwarts is jus’ round this bend, if you see.” There was a hushed silence as we rounded a corner and a path opened up. I stared amazed out at the black lake. It looked like a glimmering blanket, twisting, turning and squirming. Further along, at the edge of the water was a steep mountain, and on top of that was a magnificent castle. It was a proper castle too, like ones you would see pictures of in fairytale books, with turrets and towers. “No more’n four in a boat!” Hagrid bellowed, pointing a massive hand towards about ten rickety shapes. I slid down towards the boats, coating my robes and shoes in mud, and sat down in the sturdiest looking one. Remus climbed in next to me, and the scruffy haired boy that had fallen squeezed in afterwards. His curly-haired friend followed soon afterwards. “Ready?” Hagrid roared, whom I noticed had a boat all to himself. “FORWARD!” The fleet moved forwards, sailing into the curling black water. The boat that I had chosen, the sturdiest one, turned out to be the most rickety one. It tipped from side to side, meaning every minute or two, I was thrown into the curly-haired boy, Sirius. He was tipped into me every other minute. At one point a wave rippled across the surface, throwing us forwards and, in my case, tipping me over the side of the boat. I flung my arms and legs about, trying to grip onto something, but the next thing I knew, I was under the surface of the lake. Icy water swirled around me, soaking my robes and making them as heavy as weights which pulled me further and further down. I tried kicking, flailing my arms to try and push myself upwards, but I was so shocked I could not remember any of the strokes. When everything seemed to slow down, my vision blurring and my lungs aching, I tried swimming one more time. This time was more successful and I finally managed to break the surface, spluttering and gasping for breath and coughing up mouthfuls of water. I could not have possibly climbed back onto the boat and I was glad when the scruffy-haired boy, James, leaned over to grab me. He managed to catch me under the arms before another wave pushed me back under. James, with some help from Sirius, managed to haul me back up and onto the boat. There, I had a coughing fit, lying soaking on the floor of the boat and shivering violently. I squeezed my eyes shut, gathering all my strength, and pulled myself up to a sitting position. “Oh no,” I turned around to see James leaning out of the boat. I squinted and saw one of the oars floating off towards the school. It didn’t look good for us getting to the castle. “C-c-c-can y-you g-g-get it back by u-using the o-o-other oar-r?” I asked him, trembling and shaking, gripping onto one side of the boat so that I didn’t flop over. James glanced over at me and nodded, taking the other oar from Sirius and leaning back out of the boat. He stretched out, but at that moment the boat went over another bump and the oar slipped from James’s hand. James dived for it, but by then, it was too far out of reach. It looked like we were stranded. And freezing. I tried wrapping my arms around my body but it just made me even more cold and wet. “Take off your cloak,” Remus instructed, noticing me on the floor. I tried, but my fingers were too numb, I couldn’t move them. He reached out and took the black cloak off for me. Underneath, my shirt was just as soaking, and I felt my cheeks turn red, noticing that the shirt was sticking to me and was completely see-through. “That has too come of too, it’s much too wet and won’t help you getting warm.” My eyes widened in horror. “N-no!” I gasped. “I’m n-n-not doing that-t! A-anyway… I c-c-can’t… m-m-m-move my f-f-fingers…” James and Sirius turned around. Even though they had been uselessly leaning out of the boat, they had been listening to every word that had been spoken. “I’ll take it off,” James offered. “You can have my cloak afterwards.” “N-n-n-no!” I cried. “Y-you a-a-are 'not' t-taking off my t-t-t-to-p!” “It doesn’t matter,” Sirius assured me. “We can already see through it.” I gave him a cold look but was too tired to protest any further. James took his cloak off and put it on the floor. He then pulled my shirt up over my head, and I was surprised at how gentle he was. Remus quickly wrapped me in the cloak. It was much too big but it was warm and dry. I was still shivering, but I wasn’t nearly as cold. “That will help,” Remus assured me. “You can take off the other wet clothes when we get to Hogwarts.” “T-thank you,” I gasped, sinking down, leaning my back against the boat so that I didn’t flop over. My heart - that had been pounding from the shock - had slowed a little, and I could feel some heat returning to my body. Now all I felt like doing was sleeping. My eyes slowly began to close, my breathing slowed. “Are you lot all right?” The booming voice startled me awake. I wrapped the cloak tightly around me and sat back up. James, Sirius and Remus were all sitting beside me, leaning against the side. “Rowan fell into the lake,” Sirius called, not bothering to stand up. “And 'James' lost both the oars.” I blinked, my head spinning. Everything was dizzy and confused, but I guessed it was just because I had been thrown into the freezing water and woken up on a rocking boat. “Is Rowan okay?” Hagrid asked. “Y-yes!” my voice was all croaky and I was still stuttering. “Hang on,” Hagrid yelled. “All go an’ get you some oars!” I blinked once or twice but I did not have the strength to sit up anymore than I already was. I could hear the water splashing as Hagrid sailed back to land. “Are you okay?” Sirius asked suddenly. “You look kind of pale.” I nodded but I was starting to feel shivery and slightly sick. James’s fingertips brushed my hand. “You are 'freezing!'''” he exclaimed. Sirius took his cloak off. “Here,” he said, offering me the cloak. I reached my hand out to take it but I couldn’t quite grasp my fingers around it, they were still quite numb. Sirius leaned forwards and wrapped it around me instead. “Thanks,” I said, glad of the extra warmth. “Here you go,” Hagrid announced, and I jumped, looking up to see his boat right next to ours. He dropped two extra oars into it. Sirius and James took one each and began to sail again. I closed my eyes and clutched onto one side of the boat. It was a while until I noticed that Remus had his hand out, carefully making sure that the bitten side was facing downwards. “It will get a bit bumpy now,” he told me, and as he said it, the boat gave a sudden lurch. “I won’t let you get thrown around as much.” I took the hand he was offering and he squeezed mine slightly. I was able to relax a bit more now, though still holding tightly to one side of the boat. The boat gave a small thump as we reached land. I tried to get up but fell straight back down again. Instead Sirius grabbed one of my arms and Remus took the other. They managed to get me to my feet. With them supporting me, I was able to walk across the end of the boat. It was a bit tricky getting me off, as my legs were like jelly and I still could not move my fingers, but with some help from James, I was lifted onto the slippery rocks where the boat had stopped. A few students crowded around me, throwing me with questions, but I was too tired to answer them and Hagrid had already started to move. Getting up the stairs proved a problem. It took a while, but I finally made it to the top. There, we gathered around a huge oak door. Hagrid knocked on it three times with his gigantic hand and it swung open at once. Chapter Three - The Sorting Hat